Duke of Newcastle
Duke of Newcastle is a hereditary peer, and traditionally holds a seat on Stormwind's Royal Council. The seat of the Dukes of Newcastle is Castle Sutton, located on the Southwest region of the Kingdom of Stormwind. Newcastle is considered to be among the five wealthiest Dukes in the Stormwind Peerage, and among the first called upon by the King to supply troops to the Stormwind Army. When Henry Sutton IV died without any living sons, the title was briefly held by his brother, Charles Sutton until he was declared mentally unfit to rule. Pending a hearing, the title may soon pass to Henry's eldest surviving child, Lady Whitecrown. History The title was created in the year 342 K.C. for Edward Sutton, then Earl of Sutton Vale and has since passed through the house of Sutton for centuries. Along with the title, the house of Sutton was granted an additional 50,000 acres, including Castle Rock, the large estate of Willow Manor, and the village of Willowbrook. In total, the Suttons would own more than 172,000 acres in Newcastle, and two other Counties. Duties and Subsidiary Titles Duties The Dukes of Newcastle have all been military men, and have served as Marshals of the field, or held numerous other military titles prior to the first great war. The Duke of Newcastle enjoys a seat in the Stormwind House of Nobles, serves as one of the King's advisers, and before the fall of Stormwind, Newcastle was one of the few hereditary peers to be automatically admitted to the Royal Council. All past Dukes of Newcastle have been inducted into the Brotherhood of the Horse. Subsidiary Titles The Duke of Newcastle also holds the following subsidiary titles: *Earl of Sutton Vale - Originally a Barony, the title was upgraded to an Earldom when Henry Sutton I married Princess Elizabeth Wrynn in 12 K.C. Since the creation of the Dukedom of Newcastle, it has been used as a courtesy title for the Duke's eldest son and heir. *Earl of Whitecrown - The title came to the house of Sutton by virtue of the 8th Duke's marriage to Katherine Maclear, who inherited the title from her father, James Maclear. It was held by the Duke's heir apparent until his death in November of 625 K.C. after which the title passed to Isibel Sutton, eldest remaining child of the Duke and his first wife. *Viscount of Castle Rock - The title takes its name for the lands of Castle Rock, granted to Edward Sutton when he was created the first Duke. Also serves as a courtesy title for second sons. *Baron of Heartwood - The title derives its name from the village of Heartwood, and the sight of the magnificent Heartwood Hall. *Baron of Kingswood - The title takes its name from the village of Kingswood, which was utterly destroyed during the first Orcish war. *Baron of Willowbrook - Among the oldest titles in the Stormwind Peerage, it was inherited through marriage. All titles are in the Stormwind Peerage, save for the Earl of Whitecrown, which is in the Stromgarde Peerage, and now held by the 8th Duke's daughter. All titles descend to heirs male, save for the Earl of Whitecrown, which can pass through the female line. Once decided, a recent court case may allow for the Dukedom to pass through the female line, thus making Isibel Sutton the first female recognized as Duchess of Newcastle in her own right. Notes: The Barony of Willowbrook was ceded in recent years to the 8th Duke's younger brother who had long desired a peerage of his own. Coat of Arms The Arms: '''Quarterly 1st Azure on a Bend between two Stormwind Lions (See Wrynn Augmentation) charged with a Holy Cross (See Holy Cross Augmentation); 2nd Gules a Horse Rampant Or (Brotherhood of the Horse); 3rd Checky Argent and Azure (Maclear); 4th Argent a Lion Rampant Or (Whitehall); Center Seashell Argent '''The Crest: A Ducal coronet The Batons: A pair of crossed Lances Argent. (Not displayed here) The Supporters: '''Dexter a Crowned Lion sinister a Crowned Lion both Or '''The Motto: Be Without Fear Augmentations The Dukes of Newcastle have changed their coat of arms many times throughout the title's history, and this is typically done to reflect either an accomplishment or a desirable marriage. Holy Cross Augmentation The Dukes of Newcastle display the Holy Cross on their coat of arms, and are entitled to do so by virtue of His Grace, Bishop Alexander Sutton, Auxiliary Bishop of Stormwind from (518 K.C. - 531 K.C.) Wrynn Augmentation The Dukes of Newcastle quarter the Royal arms with their own, and are entitled to do so by virtue of a marriage between Henry Sutton I and Princess Elizabeth Wrynn in the year 12 K.C. Primary Residences *Castle Sutton, Newcastle County - The ancestral Seat of the Dukes of Newcastle, and one of the most beautiful Castles in the Kingdom of Stormwind. *Willow Manor, Willowbrook - A cottage, primarily used as a hunting lodge for the Willowbrook Hunt Club. *Heartwood Hall, Newcastle County - The private residence of the Dowager Duchess of Newcastle. *Newcastle House, Stormwind City - The Duke's Stormwind residence. Land Holdings and Wealth Land Despite having sold nearly half of their original holdings in recent years, the Dukes of Newcastle still possess more than 84,000 acres of land, making them the largest landowners in Newcastle County. Their real estate portfolio includes four titled estates, stretching from Newcastle County well into Westfall, four large villages, one hundred rental cottages, sixteen farms, three gold mines, a silver mine, a vineyard, a stone quarry, Newcastle House in Stormwind City, and the ancient, Whitecrown estate in the Arathi Highlands. Wealth They are rumored to be among the five wealthiest Dukes in the Stormwind Peerage, and have made considerable contributions to the reconstruction of Stormwind after the second war, and urged by Alonsus Faol to donate funds to build Stormwind Cathedral and Cathedral Square. With an ever-increasing fortune built over the course of five centuries, rumored to be in the hundreds of millions, the Suttons are considered to be among the most desireable Stormwind families to marry into, and have forged many political alliances through such marriages with Lordaeronian, Gilnean, and Arathi noble families. Knights of the Brotherhood of the Horse All past Dukes of Newcastle have been Knights of the Brotherhood of the Horse. The current Duke of Newcastle was inducted into the order just before the second war and later inducted into the Knights of the Silver Hand. His eldest son, Henry V was the second of their line to be inducted into both the Brotherhood of the Horse and the Order of the Silver Hand. His second son, Edryc was inducted into the Brotherhood of the Horse just before his death during the siege of Orgrimmar, and the Duke's youngest son, Edward was inducted before his death in Tanaan in November of 625. The Line Of Succession The siege of Orgrimmar was disastrous for the house of Sutton, resulting in the deaths of the 8th Duke's second son, a nephew, and two cousins. The matter of who would inherit the Dukedom became more urgent when in July of 624 K.C. the Duke's last living son was killed in action while serving in Tanaan. Although many of Stormwind's aristocratic families have elected to allow women to inherit, the 8th Duke insisted that male primogeniture is the only way to keep such vast estates intact throughout the centuries. For this reason, the Duke himself is seeking a new bride. Having died with no living sons of his own, the 8th Duke's brother inherited the title, but was quickly declared mentally unfit to rule and pending a court case, will abdicate to his niece, Isibel. Past Dukes of Newcastle *Edward Sutton I - 1st Duke of Newcastle. Held the title from the year 342 K.C. till his death in the year 357 K.C. *Edward Sutton II - 2nd Duke of Newcastle and firstborn son of Edward I. Held the title from the year 357 K.C. until his death at the age of eighty-four in the year 400 K.C. Known as "Edward the Old" *Edward Sutton III - 3rd Duke of Newcastle, married Margaret Whitehall in the year 394 K.C. and held the title till his death at the age of 78 in the year 425 K.C. *Michael Sutton - 4th Duke of Newcastle. Held the title from 425 K.C. until his death in the year 462 K.C. Known as "Michael the Merciless" for his brutal handling of three rebellions. *Henry Sutton II - 5th Duke of Newcastle. 462 K.C. - 497 K.C. Known as "Harry the Heathen" *Edward Sutton VII - 6th Duke of Newcastle, 497 K.C. - 526 K.C. *Henry Sutton III - 7th Duke of Newcastle, 526 K.C. to 579 K.C. He was the longest-lived Duke of Newcastle, and died at the age of 101. His last surviving son and heir, Edward VIII was slain in battle at the age of 62 just three days before his own death, and the title passed on to his grandson, Henry Sutton IV instead. Close friends of the 7th Duke say that he simply lost the will to live after his only remaining son was killed. *Henry Sutton IV - 8th Duke of Newcastle, son of Edward Sutton VIII, also Marshal of the Field, Knight of the Brotherhood of the Horse, and anointed Knight of the Silver Hand. Known as "Harry the Unlikely" for having been born so far down in the line of succession. (Retired from the Stormwind Army at age 65) Suffered a massive stroke resulting in his death at age 67. *Charles Sutton - 9th Duke of Newcastle, Son of Edward Sutton VIII and younger brother of the 8th Duke, also Major, Knight of the Brotherhood of the Horse, and recipient of numerous medals of honor. Known as "Charlie the Lucky" for ever having inherited the title at all. Controversy Regarding the 8th Duke's Last Will Although it has not been publicly read, the 8th Duke's last will was read in private by his family on March 29th, resulting in much controversy over a certain bequest to one of the 8th Duke's friends and rumored Mistress, the 34 year-old Erzsibet Mara, Countess of Myrewood. In his will, Henry Sutton IV settles upon her the estate known as Heartwood Hall, along with the sum of two million sovereigns for the maintenance of her dignity. Perhaps most controversial of all is a provision which names her a trustee for the duration of her life and further promises an annual stipend of a quarter of a million Sovereigns for her services to the Newcastle Trust. Outraged by the bequest and the prospect of such a woman holding a seat on the board of trustees which controls the Sutton family's wealth, the 9th Duke intends to contest both despite being informed by the family's legal team that such a legal battle would be unwinnable. Trivia *The Dukes of Newcastle have traditionally chosen among three names for their first born sons, those being Henry (After the founder of the house of Sutton), Edward, and Michael while second sons were often named Charles. *The Duke of Newcastle is one of the few hereditary peerages that has been ruthlessly passed down through the male line, even when the 7th Duke could have allowed his daughter, and only remaining child to inherit. Instead, the Dukedom passed to his grandson, the present Duke. The house of Sutton insists that male primogeniture is the only effective method of keeping such vast estates intact through the centuries. *In 619 K.C. the 8th Duke formed the Newcastle Trust, which was designed to preserve the family's estates by maintaining Castle Sutton, the numerous stately homes owned by the family, and handling all future successions, ensuring that only the male line may inherit. *After the death of the 8th Duke, his eldest daughter Isibel may be the first female Sutton to hold the title in her own right, thus ending centuries of the outdated practice of male primogeniture. Category:Titles Category:Stormwind Peerage Category:House of Sutton